Wheaton – DuPage County Stormwater Management is currently operating most of its major flood control facilities, as well as all smaller, gravity-operated flood control facilities, following overnight rainfall.

Beginning early Monday, DuPage County received between 1.1 and 2.15 inches of rainfall countywide with an additional 1.2 inches forecasted through Wednesday morning. This precipitation raised elevations in Salt Creek and the West Branch DuPage River enough to trigger operation of the County’s large flood control facilities, including the Elmhurst Quarry, Fawell Dam (Naperville), Spring Creek Reservoir (Bloomingdale) and the Armstrong Park Reservoirs (Carol Stream), early Tuesday morning. The final large facility, the Wood Dale-Itasca Reservoir, is expected to go into operation this morning. Operation of the major facilities is anticipated through Friday.

Of the 16 flood control facilities DuPage County operates, these five larger facilities have mechanical equipment allowing staff to control them according to a predetermined operating plan. The remaining facilities protect the surrounding areas from flooding without human intervention using fixed weirs and natural drainage systems. In total, the facilities have a floodwater storage capacity of nearly six billion gallons.

DuPage County Stormwater Management staff will continue to monitor stream elevations and provide updates as they become available. For more information, local agencies and residents may visit http://ec.dupageco.org/dec/stormwater/watershed/index.html to learn about flood control facilities throughout the County, as well as to view rain and stream gages, forecasts and real-time pictures.